Boehner: Tax reform is ‘just a bunch of happy talk’

Former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday that plans for massive tax reform initiated by President Trump and House Republicans are “just a bunch of happy talk.”

Boehner gave a keynote address at financial services giant KPMG’s annual Global Energy Conference, where he said his faith in the passage of a tax code overhaul is fading.

“I was a little more optimistic about it early in the year; now my odds are 60/40,” Boehner said, according to energy-sector news publication RigZone. “The border adjustment tax is deader than a doornail. Tax reform is just a bunch of happy talk.”

{mosads}Boehner said he “never envisioned” Trump in the Oval Office, and while he said Trump “did what he could” with healthcare, his presidency still faces big problems. 

“Everything else he’s done has been a complete disaster,” Boehner said. “He’s still learning how to be president.”

The former Speaker also hit back at some House Democrats’ calls for Trump’s impeachment.

“Talk of impeachment is the best way to rile up Trump supporters,” he said. “Remember, impeachment is not a legal process; it’s a political process.”

Boehner reportedly called Trump earlier this month when he was considering vetoing the government spending bill passed by Congress. Boehner told the commander in chief that he should avoid a shutdown and be thankful that the deal included an increase in military spending, according to Axios.